


Tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me

by Jock_Casual



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Falling In Love, First Kiss, M/M, Pining, fragments, science is hot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22177039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jock_Casual/pseuds/Jock_Casual
Summary: You know that part in Pride and Prejudice where Darcy calls Elizabeth ugly and she overhears? That’s it, that’s the plot of this fic. Ms. Austen forgive me.
Relationships: Jayce/Viktor (League of Legends)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 70





	Tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me

> "Maybe that’s what love is, I thought: it’s being pissed off."
> 
> —Margaret Atwood, from “The Year of the Flood,” published c. 2009

  
  


“I am the best engineering student in Piltover.” Arrogant, sure, but he also knows it to be true. Jayce doubts very much that someone their age could be at his level. If that were the case, would have he been made the youngest apprentice ever to join the Giopara’s clan? He thinks not. 

But somehow, Vi smiles dangerously and Jayce is not so sure anymore. She has that kind of power over him, making him second-guess himself as few people do. It’s the kind of stuff that made them into best friends since the very beginning. 

“Looks like someone hasn’t read the paper.” Before Jayce can say ‘what’ she slides the morning newspaper across the table. It appears to be opened by a seemingly random page and Jayce is confused until he catches a particular small headline at the bottom. 

> **_Zaunite promising young mind about to enter the Academy of Piltover_ **
> 
> _ “Director of The Engineering Academy of Piltover and one of the most innovative minds this city has ever seen, Professor Cecil B. Heimerdinger, has been asked to give a statement about the controversy of his recommendation for the first zaunite student ever to enter our revered academy.  _
> 
> _ ‘Viktor (E.) has no equal in robotics! He has the potential to become the greatest mind of his generation! I’m hoping he will teach some humility to his fellow peers once he enters the academy.” Other inventors have given their statement as well, pointing at professor Heimerdinger being natural of Bandle City as a reason for his apparent preference for…” _

Jayce frowns and Vi smiles wider. Right next to the text there is a picture of Heimerdinger and a tall skinny boy. Jayce squints at the paper to get a better look at him. 

“Heimerdinger has personally recommended this guy?” He asks again, just to be sure. Vi nods. 

“Apparently, that Viktor is the real deal. What did ol’ Heimer say about him exactly? Ah, yes. ‘Potential to become the greatest mind of his generation’ or something along those lines?” Jayce gets the paper closer yet to his face, squinting harder. Who’s this zaunite? Who is Viktor and why has Heimerdinger personally chosen him? The guy has a ridiculous face too. High cheekbones, thin chin, big eyes. Jayce scoffs, still looking closely at the photograph.

“Ugly as hell, the bone structure of a clown. I hate him already. Has anyone told Viktor that he can actually pluck his eyebrows? ” 

Vi laughs quietly as she shakes her head. 

“Man, that’s a low blow. Don’t be-.” Vi’s smile falls from her face, looking at something above Jayce’s head, as she immediately turns to look in the opposite direction with a hand on her face. She almost ducks under the table and Jayce blinks in confusion. 

“Wha-?” Jayce turns to look around at the same time Vi mouths a silent “don’t!” his way. Before Jayce can understand what’s happening, he catches the silhouette of a tall dark boy walking past them. He doesn’t spare them a look and Jayce can’t see his face very well, he walks by fast and Jayce’s eyes follow his back with curiosity. 

Oh. He understands now. 

“Was that…?” Jayce begins, and Vi looks behind her, still slouched over the table. 

“That was Viktor. Fuck. Do you think he heard us? He was close enough and the fact that you yell more than talk doesn’t help. Fuck, I’m sure he heard.” Jayce opens his mouth in the shape of a small ‘o’, offended. 

“Excuse you, I don’t yell. And I was telling the truth. Sorry not sorry it hurts.” Vi rolls her eyes at him, gesturing with her hand as if she were flicking flies away. 

“Dude, you do talk very loudly. And you don’t know the guy, you’re way too old to judge people based on their appearances.” Jayce snorts, looking around him unapologetically. Vi only huffs in response. 

“Please, don’t make me be embarrassed to be your friend.” 

  
  
  


* * *

During the last week everything Jayce’s heard about is how brilliant and amazing Viktor is. A bitterness bites at him, sure he’s a good student and aces every paper and test, but people doesn’t talk about him as they talk about Viktor. 

For instance, they say that Viktor is capable of building a hextech isolated circuit from scraps, which is preposterous and Jayce is sure it has to be a lie. Otherwise, it would mean that Viktor is actually a genius, which doesn’t sit very well with him at the moment, so he’s ignoring the possibility altogether. 

They also say that Viktor has written two hundred pages on constructivism. Jayce doubts very much that Viktor has the knowledge to do that, and even if true, Jayce hates constructivism with every inch of his body. He hates those philosophers of mathematics. Like, numbers are numbers, right? Jayce is a defender of classical mathematics, they’re easier, pragmatic, useful. They’re meant to help you in real life, not talk about existentialism. 

It’s outrageous, stupid, nonsensical. 

Jayce hates Viktor’s guts. 

  
  


* * *

Jayce is sitting on a bench outside the academy, enjoying the sun and good weather before the colder months arrive, he’s just opened his book when he notices Viktor walking his way. That’s new. Jayce looks back down at his book and waits as if he had seen nothing. Viktor usually walks by Jayce in the Academy as if he didn’t exist, today Viktor gazes at him without breaking eye contact. When he reaches Jayce, he looks around and squints at the sun, he’s clearly spent to many hours in the workshop and Jayce closes his book with calculated sluggishness. 

Jayce looks up from his sitting position and stretches his legs, yawning. 

“My name is Viktor, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced before.” Viktor offers a hand with a cold expression. Jayce is already feeling the annoyance emanating from him like spores. 

He doesn’t take Viktor’s hand, instead he gazes at him. Viktor is really tall, he will give him that much, taller than him but used to a slouched position, it shows on his rounded shoulders and stiff upper body. Jayce knows a few ways Viktor could try to fix his bad posture a maybe avoid an ugly neck pain in the future, but he sure isn’t about to tell him. 

“Jayce.” He answers back, showing as little interest as he’s capable of. He’s decided he will give Viktor nothing if he can help it. “Do you want something? I’m a busy man.” Jayce looks Viktor right in the eye, keeping a straight face. 

Viktor takes his hand back and then tilts his head to one side as if curious, inspecting him. Jayce hates how unimpressed he looks. It’s as if they had been made to clash with each other. 

“Stanwick asked me to tell you he wants to talk to you.” Neither of them breaks eye contact, it feels like a wrestling match that Jayce refuses to lose. 

“Good.” Jayce says, detached. He opens his book again but doesn’t look down at it. Viktor stays there too, looking at Jayce as if he were bacteria growing off a Petri dish. 

“You don’t like me.” Viktor says and Jayce has the urge to smile. 

“Smart. I can see why they gave you that scholarship.” It’s unnecessarily vile and cruel and it’s not something Jayce usually resorts to, but he feels cornered and the sooner Viktor leaves the better. 

“Is it because I’m a zaunite or are you just that competitive?” Viktor tilts his head to the opposite side now and Jayce purses his lips in a fake expression of concentration. 

“Let me think.” Jayce brings his thumb and index finger to his chin, thinking. “Yep. Definitely the competition thing.” 

Viktor then does the unexpected and smiles sideways. There is a strange warmth to it and Jayce hates that it makes him feel like he lost the fight. Shouldn’t he be saying that Jayce is an overbearing asshole or something along those lines?

“I can respect that.” Viktor says and waves a hand before turning to leave the same way he arrived, squinting his eyes at the sun and being immensely annoying. 

Jayce is left staring at his back with a frown. 

  
  


* * *

“Did you really say that? You’re such a prick!” Vi is laughing hard at him, he gets it. More importantly, he deserves it. 

“Look, you don’t-can’t know how infuriating he is. It’s the most painstaking man I’ve ever meet. He’s so quiet but not like in a timid cute way, you know? More like in the most unnerving way imaginable. And God. Does the man even blink? YOU don’t know the way he stared at me.” Vi laughs harder yet and Jayce throws a cushion her way.

“I’ve seen him around, he’s not that hot. He just looks like a regular brooding boy.” Vi throws the cushion back and Jayce catches it in time.

“WHO said anything about him being hot? I’ll admit he has good hair and he’s tall and his hands are-, but that’s, that’s not the point. Fuck, help me here! You’re my friend! How do I impress him?” Vi arches her eyebrows and shrugs, mumbling a low ‘dunno’ at Jayce. 

“Why do you want to impress him, anyway? You hate him.” Jayce bites the cushion out of frustration and Vi snorts. 

“He needs to know I’m the smartest guy in the room. You wouldn’t understand. It’s a matter of pride, I’m the best engineer in this stupid academy. I won’t be second best to no one, much less to a charmless, socially awkward amateur.” He mumbles over the cushion, growling, as the last part of his sentence gets lost towards the end. Vi is laughing more than ever.

“Holy shit, Jayce. Get a grip, my man. This is embarrassing even by your standards.” Jayce burrows his whole face into the cushion. “I don’t know if you will ever be the best engineer in Piltover, but you sure are the most dramatic.” Vi grabs a bunch of popcorn and bites into it. “Like, by a stretch.” She adds with her mouth full. 

  
  
  


* * *

When Jayce arrives at the library it’s around 3 am, he looks at the clock in the center of the room and goes to his usual spot. He should be finished with the paper by morning, if he works fast. Some students are sleeping on their tables, hiding their heads from the faint light of the desk lamps. Others stare blankly at the book in front of them. Jayce knows the feeling, he’s been there enough times. He takes a seat and grabs one of his books when he notices Viktor in a desk nearby. 

It doesn’t look like Viktor has noticed him though. He gets up and throws everything in his bag carelessly. 

Jayce also knows that feeling. 

Viktor leaves with his bag hanging from one shoulder without looking at anyone. 

Jayce notices a notebook in Viktor’s desk long after he’s gone. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“And now he’s in jail and Cait says I should rest. That’s the story, I hope you’re happy your best friend Vi got herself a day off. A DAY OFF. I haven’t had one of those in three years I think.” Jayce hums, skimming over the pages of a notebook. Vi is sitting sideways across from him, looking intently in his direction. A few beats pass by and Vi keeps on chewing gum loudly, meanwhile Jayce keeps going back and forth between two pages. “So… What’s so interesting about that notebook that you’d ignore my epic fist fight story?” Vi asks again, Jayce ignores her by humming in approval in the exact same tone as before. Vi groans, throwing a pencil in his direction.

“Dude!”

“What? Ah, yes. Sorry. These are Viktor’s notes.” Vi arches a single eyebrow, moving her legs sideways to face Jayce completely. 

“What the fuck? Are you spying on the enemy?” Vi whispers. Jayce gasps, whispering back. 

“No! He left them behind in the library… I thought, what if someone else took them? I’m keeping his notes safe! I don’t like him, but letting other people steal his work is another matter entirely. It’s just unethical. You know how greedy students are. These could be in someone else’s project already if I hadn’t rescued them.” Vi squints suspiciously, tone flat and accusatory. 

“That explains why you’re reading them how?” Jayce has the decency to blush ever so slightly then, looking around again for good measure. 

“Please don’t look at me like that. You know me, I’d rather jump off a bridge than plagiarize another student’s project.” Vi’s expression doesn’t change. 

“That is still not an answer to my question.” Jayce sighs, he closes the notebook keeping two fingers in between to mark the page. Vi looks at him expectantly.

“I was curious.” He whispers, a second goes by, and he tries to explain himself as best as he can a second time. “You can know a lot about someone by the way they… do math.” 

Vi goes from a serious flat expression to a roaring laugh in one second, then to the point of weeping tears from her eyes while Jayce looks frantically around, hushing her the whole time.

“Oh my god, Jayce, this is so you. Never change please, it is your unlimited potential for making an ass of yourself the single thing that brings me most joy in life.” Jayce opens the notebook, sliding it towards the center of the table. He points to a few lines with one finger. 

“Look, math is an art, ok? Rules are the same for everyone but there is literally an infinite number of paths you can take to get to the answer you’re looking for. The path someone chooses says a lot about their personality. I am merely getting a peek at Viktor’s path so I can judge him based on his choices like any sensible person would.” Vi laughs more quietly now into her hand. 

“You really fancy that goth boy, huh?” Jayce scoffs, shaking his head. 

“As if. Don’t be ridiculous, please. This is just scientific curiosity.” Jayce keeps on going through pages with a frown as Vi snickers under her breath. “Look at this!” Jayce now points to a specific line and Vi leans forward to follow his finger over the paper. “Unsimplified formulas? Really? “Jayce lets out a dry laugh, greatly offended by Viktor’s figures apparently, and Vi purses her lips in awkward silence. “He thinks he’s better than the rest of us for not simplifying results or what? I could do this! I just don’t like to flex for no reason. Do you see these? Two whole ass pages of functions that could be reduced to half a page. This is proof that he’s a narcissistic prick. Just split fractions like a normal human being, God. It’s either that or he doesn’t understand the beauty in neat, elegant results. And honestly? I don’t know which one is worse.” Vi opens her mouth to reply but Jayce charges at it again, interrupting her. “And look at this handwriting! I bet even he can’t read his own notes afterwards. This diagram! It’s like if a baby drew an electric circuit. Is he even capable of drawing a straight line?” 

Vi grabs Jayce by the shoulders across the table. 

“Stop. Give the notebook back. Don’t ever think about it again”

  
“I can’t do that, he will know I took it. You see my problem, right?” Vi sighs deeply and sits back, letting go of Jayce. He can’t picture a scene in which he gives it back without weird questions asked. He refuses to put himself in that position. Not in front of Viktor. Not ever.

“I’ll give it back. I’ll say I found it around or something.” Vi extends her hand in Jayce’s direction, palm looking up. Jayce hugs the notebook instinctively. 

“It doesn’t have a name on it. He will ask how you know it’s his.” Vi sighs again. 

“Then you give it back.”

He knows Viktor must be looking for it. Hell, he would freak out if he lost his own notes. Jayce leaves them on the table and sighs. He stares at the cover and thinks. He has to be honest, if only in the privacy of his own mind. 

Deep down, Jayce wishes he could steal the notebook. Full of shame, Jayce wishes he could keep it. If only to read it, if only to skim through its pages during the wee hours of the morning like he’s been doing for the past few days. Viktor’s notes are a challenging puzzle full of questions Viktor has asked himself during and out of class, his thoughts on every hypothesis, his own feelings sometimes. The notebook describes strange approaches and tricky yet functioning diagrams, quotes from different philosophers, chemists, engineers. Even more, Viktor sometimes leaves a sentence hanging after a formula, an idea he’s suddenly had, a thing to explore next, a thing to come back to. 

Jayce feels like he’s having a glimpse into Viktor’s mind each time he goes over it and he can’t help but feel astonished at how immensely talented Viktor has turned out to be. 

He may be a sore loser, but at least he has the dignity to admit that Viktor’s intellect is truly remarkable even if the man himself is abhorrent. Heimerdinger might be right about him after all. 

“Jayce?” He would never plagiarize it, he would only read it. Keep it in his nightstand like a good book. 

Jayce sighs a second time and puts the notebook in his bag. 

“I will give it back. His work is not that impressive anyway” 

“Good.” 

* * *

Jayce has had time to chill, he’s ready to answer all of Viktor’s questions about the notebook which are none of them. But it doesn’t matter, because the right thing to do is give Viktor back his notes regardless and that’s what Jayce is going to do. Definitely. He’s already doing it. He’s got this. What is Viktor, anyway? A fellow engineer, a regular boy, a zaunite. Besides, he’s rather dull and doesn’t speak much. Nothing to be so worked up for. 

Jayce has the charisma, the charm, the attitude.

When Jayce enters the room, Viktor is leaning over a table with his security glasses on and his hair tied back, he’s going over several papers scattered across the table. Jayce could say hi, he could be a normal human being that talks and uses social protocol and engages other people with the appropriate manners. Or he could just be a goblin. 

“Viktor.” Viktor turns, Jayce walks calmly towards him and Viktor lifts the security glasses to let them rest on top of his head. He’s tall, Jayce notices again, just as he’s done each time they’ve stood in front of each other. He doesn’t look him in the eye, instead he offers the notebook he was carrying in his hand. “Found them, guessed they were yours.” 

Jayce has picked his words carefully, Viktor opens his eyes in surprise.

“Thank you, I was looking for them.” Viktor takes the notebook and lets his thumb run over the edge of its pages like a fan. Jayce doesn’t say anything and Viktor just stands there, rounded shoulders and bad posture, waiting for Jayce to say something. He looks only at Viktor’s hands clasped around the notebook, incapable of looking up. Jayce suddenly remembers one of the quotes that sticked with him after reading Viktor’s notes for the first time. 

_ ‘It is always easy to be logical. It is almost impossible to be logical to the bitter end.’ _

He feels logic slipping away from him already. He doesn’t know who wrote it but it’s good, even he, a man that has never cared for literature, can recognize the meaning behind the words. Maybe even empathize with them. He now feels closer to Viktor through his words, through his damned numbers and figures, even if they haven’t actually talked that much. Maybe it’s a wrong perception of his, an illusion. Much like feeling closer to an author you have never met but read a lot about. 

Real or not, it makes him weak, and therefore, honest. 

“I actually took them. I saw you leaving them behind. I was curious.” Jayce hesitates, talking fast, and Viktor listens in silence. “Your work is really good. It has dampened my competitive spirit just the right amount to be able to tell you that.” Jayce tries for humor although it doesn’t have the effect he would have wanted. He tries for a smile, he keeps quiet after that. 

“Thank you.” Viktor’s answer is polite and they stand still in silence for a couple of seconds then. 

“If you’d take some criticism though, you could really improve your drawing skills, those diagrams need help. As in medical attention kind of help.” Viktor snorts a half-laugh and Jayce lifts his eyes then to find Viktor smiling sideways, very similarly to the first time they talked. 

“I am aware.” Viktor says, and Jayce hums in response. They don’t say anything else and Jayce clears his throat loudly. 

“Well, I’m going now.” He turns, ready to leave the room with a quick step.

“Jayce.” Viktor calls his name, it’s the first time he’s ever said it. It works like a spell, it makes Jayce stop in his tracks as if an invisible pull had restrained his body. He waits for Viktor to release the pull with his next sentence. “Curiosity is a virtue when spoken about with honesty, and acted upon with integrity.” 

Jayce laughs, it sounds a little weak. Not knowing Viktor at all, Jayce surprises himself thinking it’s so like him to say something so unnecessarily ominous, to forgive him without actually saying it. 

“Thanks. See you.” Jayce waves a hand without turning to face him and leaves. Viktor looks down from Jayce’s back to the worn-out cover of his notebook. 

  
  


* * *

A few weeks later, Jayce is running late and the moment he arrives at class he quickly notices that his usual seat is taken. He scans the room for a free spot and walks up to the only one left. Jayce mutters some apologies at other students when they make space for him to get to his chair. It feels like Jayce is making a lot of noise when his bag falls on the desk in the middle of the silent classroom, he makes a fuss of taking off his coat. The teacher looks at him with an arched eyebrow as Jayce finally sits. 

“Hi.” Viktor says, right besides him.

“Oh, hi.” Jayce puts his books on the table as Viktor turns to face the teacher again and Jayce doesn’t fail to notice Viktor’s notebook on his desk. 

They don’t talk much during the rest of the class, but sometimes Viktor will say something under his breath and Jayce will laugh, other times Jayce says something mean about a classmate or a teacher and Viktor scolds him with no small amount of humor. 

Jayce thinks Viktor might be nice after all.

From that moment on, Jayce sits besides Viktor in every class. 

* * *

This one class is especially boring and Jayce already knew everything about thermodynamics when he was fifteen. He rests his chin on the palm of his hand and blinks slowly, feeling sleepy. This professor is not half bad, it would probably be an interesting class if he wasn’t already ahead of it. Jayce looks over Viktor’s desk at his right and watches as Viktor scribbles a new question on the margin of his notebook. 

Besides it, Viktor also writes ‘ _ Ask Jayce ?? _ ’

Something catches in his throat at that, at how unbearably adorable he finds it. 

Jayce leans a bit over his side, closer to Viktor’s shoulder. 

“In a mechanically isolated system there is no mass flow, that’s why it doesn’t make sense.” He whispers, clears his throat. Viktor turns to look at him with eyes wide open. 

“Oh. Nice.” Viktor whispers back, scratches the question on the margin and writes the answer below. 

Jayce spends the rest of the class hiding behind the palm of his right hand, cheeks burning hot. 

* * *

After sitting together in class for the good part of a month, one day Viktor invites Jayce to come to the workshop with him and maybe get some work done after class. It doesn’t cross Jayce’s mind to refuse the invitation. 

Thus, Jayce waits for him sitting in the wood bench outside the Academy. This time the winter months are already here and he braces himself in the cold sun while waiting. Jayce wonders in the meantime. 

Whenever Viktor enters the room all of Jayce’s disperse and unruly thoughts gather, like a class called to order, to stare at Viktor in obedient silence. He looks at the way his fringe sways slightly when talking sometimes and Jayce thinks he would be obsessed with details such as these if he were an artist. A thing he’s not -and has never cared to be-, but that’s just the kind of things that Viktor makes him think about. 

He finds him intimidating in a way Jayce can’t explain even to himself. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, Viktor is not an aggressive man, he’s never mocked other people’s mistakes. It’s more about how surprisingly gentle Viktor can be without being complacent. He’s assertive and serious, but Jayce would never say that he’s cold. Even more so, he finds Viktor warm, passionate, understanding, ingenious. His feelings run deep and his ability to empathize with people is something Jayce knows he will never have. 

He finds Viktor intimidating, perhaps, because of how brilliant he is. 

That is how Jayce perceives him and it is enough to make him behave, to make him afraid of making a fool of himself and losing Viktor’s good graces by saying the wrong thing. 

Jayce absolutely despises feeling like this. He can’t be himself if he’s afraid of talking about what’s on his mind. Jayce hates that Viktor has reduced him to an insecure little man since he came into his life. Jayce glares at Viktor as he approaches the wood bench, a small act of rebellion to prove that he is strong enough to at least be able to do that. 

“Hello. You look horrible.” Viktor’s accent is a deep sound that runs through his spine. It’s not even funny how strong his reaction is to a single sentence, Jayce does his best just to keep appearances. It’s not often Jayce feels so incredibly overpowered in all senses of the word and the feeling is so foreign and exhilarating that he can’t find his voice

Jayce pointedly looks in other direction, clearing his throat. 

“It is physically impossible for me to look horrible, I’m too pretty. My bad days are another man’s best.” Viktor snorts in amusement and Jayce keeps a straight face, crossing his arms loosely below his chest. 

“Who are you mad at?” Viktor looks in the direction Jayce is glaring at, searching for a possible answer to his question. 

“No one. It’s okay.” Jayce stands up to look at Viktor and relaxes his posture, Viktor is hugging a pair of books to his chest with one arm. 

“Would you like to talk about it or would you rather get to work?” He asks carefully, Jayce gazes at him and sighs, shaking his head. 

Despite the things that Jayce doesn’t like to feel, he can’t deny that there are also some good feelings attached to their newly found friendship. 

For instance, Jayce has find that falling for Viktor also feels like hope, like a frenzied kind of worship. Much like a fever, he lets himself be consumed by the excitement in his heart, the readiness to live and laugh, the wonder of -maybe- having a shot at happiness. It’s a promise far too sweet to let it go, so instead he does the opposite and hopes for the best. 

  
“Definitely work.” Jayce says, Viktor shrugs and they start walking together towards the workshop. On the way inside, Viktor starts to talk about constructivism and Jayce listens to every word as if they were scripture.

  
  


* * *

A few days later they’re going over the lesson for their next test. They’re sitting across each other on a empty study room and Jayce keeps the book on his lap while Viktor recites the lecture by heart. Viktor keeps his eyes fixed at some point on the wall while talking, citing the book’s entire chapter almost word by word. In the meantime, Jayce looks at Viktor instead of the lesson. 

“The directed sum of the electrical potential differences around-” 

“Why are you my friend?” Jayce asks suddenly, almost possessed. Viktor stops looking at the empty wall to gaze at him for the first time.

Viktor seems to consider Jayce’s question for a moment before answering. 

“I’m not sure. I haven’t asked myself that question. I reckon we’re alike in some matters, the important ones.” Viktor then breaks eye contact and stares blankly at the window. The sun is setting and every other student with half a brain is taking a break before the finals. Jayce hasn’t stopped looking at Viktor’s face for an hour. 

“You overheard my conversation with Vi about you at the beginning of the semester.” Jayce says matter of factly, it’s stupid to pretend otherwise, and Viktor’s calm expression confirms it. “I was an asshole to you when you tried to introduce yourself later. I took your notes. I was very rude. So why?” 

Viktor hums and looks back at Jayce, there is a kind of sheer determination in his eyes that Jayce finds mesmerizing. 

“I thought you had two possible reasons to hate me without actually knowing me. Either you were an elitist or you were extremely competitive. The former I couldn’t understand, and the latter even though I’m not a very competitive man myself, at least I could respect. You’re also very brilliant, and as I said before, I think we’re somewhat alike.” They stay silent for a couple of seconds until Viktor asks, “Why are you my friend?” 

Jayce smiles. An easy question. 

“You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to impress a man worthy of being impressed.”

Viktor tilts his head to one side and scans Jayce in that particular and unique way of his. 

“You did impress me.” Viktor says after a beat of silence, Jayce arches his eyebrows.

“When?” Jayce asks. It feels like they’re whispering in the silence of the study room, and Viktor matches Jayce’s smile with a cheeky one. 

“‘The bone structure of a clown’? I couldn’t have made that up myself. You have the greatest gift I’ve ever seen for roasting people.” Jayce laughs out loud, throwing his head back while Viktor laughs quietly. 

“Come on!” 

“What? It is impressive.” They’re both still laughing and Jayce shakes his head. 

“In my defense you do have really high cheekbones and very big eyes.” Viktor fakes offense and it’s such a weird look on him that it makes Jayce laugh harder. 

“When will the roasting end?” Viktor jokes, looking around as if asking an imaginary audience, Jayce shakes his head. 

“Never. For as long as there are people I will be there to trashtalk them. That is a promise.” Viktor laughs and groans into his hands, throwing himself over the desk. Jayce’s hand itches with the impulse to sink his fingers in Viktor’s hair. 

“I swear I can’t study anymore. I’m done in. My brain is numb.”

“So don’t. We’re gonna ace it anyway.” Jayce shrugs and Viktor lifts his head to look at him from behind his circled arms. 

“You may be right in this particular instance.” Viktor says. Jayce huffs. 

“I’m glad you specified.” Viktor hums and puts his forehead against the table again, looking down. 

Maybe it’s because Jayce is tired and stupid, or maybe it’s because he’s feeling lucky, but Jayce puts his hand on Viktor head and lets his fingers untangle locks of dark hair down to his neck, just until he touches skin. He lets his fingers run down to the hem of Viktor’s collar and under it. Viktor shivers and Jayce feels the tremor run through his own body like a scream. 

Viktor doesn’t say anything and Jayce leans forward, putting his other hand over Viktor’s neck and top of his own hand. He kisses the top of his head. 

Jayce stutters then. 

Viktor lifts his head and they’re facing each other, noses almost touching. Viktor studies him with the very same unimpressed look he’s always shown him. Jayce decides it’s now or never. 

“If it’s of any consolation, I also think that your brain makes you at least a seventy five percent sexier by default. Despite your cheekbones, I’d say you are a very attractive man.” Jayce says, playing it as cool as he can. Viktor arches an eyebrow. 

“You’re a very attractive man by default, but I’d say your personality makes you at least a fifty percent less sexy overall.”

“Fifty percent? I win.” Jayce says, grinning. Viktor blinks in confusion. 

“No. I win, I am a twenty five percent sexier than you.” Jayce leans yet forward. 

“I win if you are my boyfriend.” Jayce whispers, and Viktor’s surprise look makes everything worth it.

Jayce crosses the final distance and leaves a soft kiss on Viktor’s lips. Viktor inspects him and lifts his right hand to touch his face. His hand runs through Jayce’s jaw and cheek, down to his neck and back up to his chin. Viktor follows the trail with his eyes. 

Viktor smells amazing and Jayce’s breath hitches. Jayce realizes he desperately needs another kiss. He puts both of his hands at the sides of Viktor’s neck, thumbs caressing the line of his jaw but Viktor pulls at his neck to kiss him back before he can do anything.

“We both win.” Viktor whispers, and their foreheads touch as Jayce smiles into the next kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank not only God but also Jane Austen and Piltover’s Finest because this oneshot is heavily influenced by their work. Especially Piltover’s Finest characterization of Jayce and Viktor’s early relationship prior to the whole Blitzcrank mess. It’s of note that Vi’s own characterization and her friendship with Jayce has become a sort of trademark for Piltover’s Finest narrative, and this should be acknowledged along with the great effort he makes into studying lore and subtext so we don’t have to. 
> 
> That having been said, when Jayce is talking to Vi about the way people do math and how it reflects on their personality, Jayce says that Viktor doesn’t know a thing about the beauty in mathematics. You may have recognized this reference from Piltover’s Finests “I grieve in stereo”, which is my favourite jayvik fanfiction on this hellsite and if you like this pairing you should definitely read it along with all of his other works because he’s the best author in this fandom.
> 
> About other quotes in this fic:
> 
> “‘It is always easy to be logical. It is almost impossible to be logical to the bitter end.’” is a quote from Mr. Albert Camus
> 
> Addiotionally, when Jayce says “You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to impress a man worthy of being impressed.” the actual quote, said by Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice is “You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased.” which I find endearing and amazing and since watching Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy was what gave me the idea for this fic it was only logical I quoted him.


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